What’s News, Breaking: Tuesday, January 9, 2023

January 9, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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CHABAD STUDENTS, TRYING TO HONOR A LEGACY,
GET ARRESTED OVER A TUNNEL THEY BUILT

EASTERN PARKWAY — A GROUP OF CHABAD STUDENTS BUILT A TUNNEL TO EXPAND A SANCTUARY, BUT INSTEAD GOT ARRESTED on Monday, Jan. 8, reports the Daily News. The young men had begun “some months ago” digging the tunnel to an adjacent Chabad property dating from the 1930s, but in doing so, destabilized the building, Chabad spokesman Motti Seligson told the Daily News. When administrators began sealing the tunnel, the students tried to block the cement workers and finish the tunnel. The NYPD were called in and arrested five of the group members, who will be assigned dates at Brooklyn Criminal Court. Department of Buildings inspectors were scheduled to inspect the property on Tuesday, Jan. 9, to determine if the building is stable.

Seligson explained that the students were trying to obey a command by Lubavitch Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), who is credited with expanding Chabad from a small Jewish sect into an international movement, and who, in 1972, instructed his disciples to expand the house of worship. Read more here.

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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SPIKES IN CITY, BOROUGH

CITYWIDE — A RECENT CITY STUDY SHOWS A DRAMATIC SPIKE IN INTIMATE partner violence in NYC between 2021 and 2022, reports BK Reader, with police records indicating a nearly 30% increase in violent incidents citywide and a shocking 225% increase in partner murders in Brooklyn within that time frame. The Fatality Review Committee, which conducted the study, found that areas suffering from poverty and unemployment had disproportionately high crime rates, with Brooklyn’s Community District 5 — Cypress Hills, East New York, New Lots and Starrett City — recording eight partner homicides, the highest in the borough. The committee also found that Black women were by far the most likely to be victims of domestic homicide and called for greater investment in programs targeted towards racial justice and uplifting impoverished communities.

Recent city budget cuts ordered by Mayor Adams could jeopardize some of these programs, according to a nonprofit, Urban Resource Institute, which said the spike was “a direct result of long-standing disinvestment in services for survivors,” according to BK Reader. Read more about recent upward trends in domestic violence here.

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POLICE CALLED TO LUBAVITCH HQ AFTER ILLEGAL TUNNEL DISCOVERY

CROWN HEIGHTS — POLICE ON MONDAY STRUGGLED TO CONTAIN A chaotic scene at the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters on 770 Eastern Parkway, reports Crown Heights Info, when fighting broke out over a secret tunnel dug between the synagogue’s basement and an adjoining building; 10 people have been arrested, and the basement has been temporarily closed for safety reasons. The conflict reportedly began when Lubavitch leadership discovered the tunnel, became concerned over the potential collapse of the wall it undermined, and ordered it filled with concrete; younger members then attacked the cement truck and attempted to occupy the tunnel to prevent the infilling.

Chabad Lubavitch CEO Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky wrote in a statement, “These odious actions will be investigated, and the sanctity of the synagogue will be restored… Our thanks to the NYPD for their professionalism and sensitivity,” while Motti Seligson, Media Director at Chabad, condemned the “extremist student” diggers on X (Twitter), also saying that Chabad was seeking a structural review. A hotly contested ideological split within the Lubavitch movement has resulted in the group’s leadership not having control over the bottom section of the 770 building. Read more here.

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‘PHARMA BRO’ SHKRELI BANNED FROM BK TECH SCHOOL CLUB

FORT GREENE — OFFICIALS AT THE CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ON Monday shut down a planned talk by controversial investor Martin Shkreli scheduled for Tuesday at Brooklyn Tech’s cryptocurrency club, reports the Daily Beast; Shkreli was set to speak on AI and finance with students and staff. Since convicted of securities fraud unrelated to his pharmaceutical exploits, the investor faced widespread condemnation in 2015 when his company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, hiked the price of life-saving medication Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 per pill. In 2022, he was ordered to return more than $64 million generated from Daraprim profits and barred for life from the pharmaceutical industry after unsuccessfully arguing that Turing payment programs and insurance coverage meant the price hike did not impact patients.

Shkreli, a Sheepshead Bay native, lashed out at the DOE and Daily Beast on X (Twitter): “[Expletive], i will host a parade in brooklyn on a harambe float in front of the DoE building, you dont know me,” he wrote, referencing an internet-famous gorilla killed by zookeepers in 2016; the event may be rescheduled off-campus according to other posts.

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ALICIA KEYS, SWIZZ BEATS SHARE ART COLLECTION AT BK MUSEUM

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM IS SET TO HOST A SHOW curated from the art collection of A-list singer Alicia Keys and her husband, producer Swizz Beats, later this year, reports the New York Times, featuring a broad spectrum overview of African-American art from the couple’s extensive archive. The exhibition, titled “Giants,” will run from Feb. 10 to July 7 of this year and will include more than 100 paintings, photographs, installations and other works from Black and African diaspora artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Derrick Adams, Melaka Molgosi and more; tickets will cost $25 and can be pre-purchased on the Brooklyn Museum’s website.

The power couple have said they want to use their star power to help support Black artists and creatives: “The reason why we doubled down on African American art is because people weren’t collecting it… we as collectors must take responsibility to shape the market,” according to Swizz Beats; Keys added, “We have never seen all these artworks in one room.”

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CITY EVACUATES MIGRANTS
FROM FLOYD BENNETT FIELD
FOR WEATHER EMERGENCY

FLOYD BENNETT FIELD — AS PART OF A WIDE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS MEASURE, NYC OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMISSIONER ZACH ISCOL ANNOUNCED ON MID-AFTERNOON TUESDAY, JAN. 9 that OEM was “proactively relocating individuals from the Floyd Bennett Field Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center as a precaution to safeguard the well-being of those in our care.” NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, responding to the emergency move, still criticized the city’s decision to place asylum seekers in Floyd Bennett Field from the start. Doing so, Lander said, “despite the known significant storm risks, highlights the mismanagement and waste of money that is all-too-present in City Hall’s approach to shelter and services for asylum seekers.”

Lander added, “The need for the City to find temporary shelter for the people already in temporary shelter demonstrates that the site was not adequately set up for extreme weather on top of the hardship this isolated and inadequately serviced location, miles from the nearest neighborhood school, already imposes on its residents.”

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NEW BILL WOULD REQUIRE BACKGROUND
CHECKS ON ALL FIREARM SALES

CAPITOL HILL — THE “FEDERAL FIREARM LICENSEE ACT,” WHICH BROOKLYN CONGRESSMEMBER DAN GOLDMAN (D-10) INTRODUCED in the legislature on Tuesday, Jan. 9, aims to modernize and strengthen the federal requirements for anyone who facilitates gun sales. This legislation, which would update and expand sections in the U.S. Code directed at federal firearms licensees that have stayed in place for 30 years, would mandate “facilitators” such as gun shows or websites to run background checks on all gun sales, increase physical security requirements at gun shops, modernizing record keeping, and require dealers to inform the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) immediately if any firearms are transferred before a background check has been completed. Current regulations permit sellers at gun shows or on online marketplaces to sell a firearm without first initiating a background check to determine whether the buyers are prohibited under applicable state or federal law.

Rep. Goldman joined his Congressional colleague Robin Kelly (D-IL/Chicago area) in introducing the Federal Firearm Licensee Act.

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BROOKLYN’S GOTHAM HEALTH SITES RECEIVE
$1.1M INVESTMENT FOR PRENATAL CARE

WILLIAMSBURG TO EAST NEW YORK — NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS/GOTHAM HEALTH HAS RECEIVED $1.1 MILLION FROM BROOKLYN Borough President Antonio Reynoso allocated as part of his Fiscal Year 2024 capital funding. The Borough President’s investment will support Gotham Health sites in Brooklyn, including the replacement of outdated ultrasound machines at Gotham Health, Cumberland and Williamsburg and the purchase of new ophthalmology equipment at Gotham Health, East New York. The monies will also be used to upgrade patient services. “Gotham Health is essential to the health of Brooklyn, providing high-quality preventative care that strives to chip away at decades of inequities in the health and well-being of our neighbors,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.

Reynoso added, “I’m particularly excited that some of this funding will be going toward state-of-the-art ultrasounds that will support healthy pregnancies among Brooklynites.”

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health CEO Michelle Lewis celebrate $1.1 million in city funds to support necessary infrastructure improvements and enhance patient services for Gotham Health sites in Brooklyn.<br>Photo courtesy NYC Health +Hospitals/Gotham Health — Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health CEO Michelle Lewis celebrate $1.1 million in city funds to support necessary infrastructure improvements and enhance patient services for Gotham Health sites in Brooklyn.
Photo courtesy NYC Health +Hospitals/Gotham Health

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OPEN HOUSE IN RED HOOK TO DISCUSS OFFSHORE WIND

RED HOOK — THE NYS ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (NYSERDA) will host a public open house in Red Hook to discuss New York’s efforts to advance offshore wind. Representatives from NYSERDA, the state’s regulatory agencies, and project developers will discuss the offshore wind energy development process and the state’s contracted and conditionally awarded projects. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act requires the responsible development of 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035.

The event takes place on Wednesday, Jan. 10, from 6 – 9 p.m. at the Joseph Miccio Community Center, 110 W 9th St.

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SITE FOR NEW BAY RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL

BAY RIDGE — IN ITS FINAL SESSION OF 2023, THE CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED A LAND USE APPLICATION by the School Construction Authority for a new, 676-seat high school facility on two lots at 437-443 Ovington Ave. in Bay Ridge. The facility in Justin Brannan’s District 43 would also include a D75 special education school. The lots are on the site of the now-shuttered St. Nicholas Home for the Aged. The school would alleviate some of the pressure at Ft. Hamilton High School, which is so overcrowded (with more than 4,500 students) that the school day starts at 7:20 a.m. and spreads over 10 periods, according to Inside Schools.

In May 2023, Community Board 10 voted down the application, citing traffic issues, overcrowding in the area and concerns that a new high school would not primarily serve local students. The vote was advisory only, however, the Brooklyn Eagle reported.

Ovington St. School — Photo: Helen Klein/Brooklyn Eagle

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DRIVER IN FATAL COLLISION CHARGED AS UNLICENSED; ALL OCCUPANTS OF OTHER VEHICLE FLEE SCENE

BUSHWICK — ONE MAN IS DEAD AND TWO OTHERS WERE CRITICALLY INJURED IN AN EARLY-MORNING COLLISION IN BUSHWICK on Monday. The crash, which happened around 12:48 a.m. near the intersection of Irving Ave. and Stockholm St., within the 83rd Precinct in Bushwick, involved the drivers of a Kia Sportage SUV and a Toyota Yaris. According to the NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad’s preliminary report, the Kia collided with the Toyota, which caused a chain reaction as the Toyota struck three parked, unoccupied vehicles. An unidentified rear passenger from the Toyota taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst was pronounced deceased; his identity has been withheld pending family notification. Two other male passengers were taken to the same hospital in critical condition. The Toyota’s driver, 26-year-old Jorge Sanchezde Lozada Haiek, was treated at Elmhurst Hospital, taken into custody and faces a charge of Aggravated Unlicensed Operator.

The Kia’s driver and passengers left the scene, fleeing on foot. As of press time they are still at large.

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SUBMIT COMMENTS ABOUT PARK AVE./BQE PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS TO CB2

FORT GREENE — NYC DOT IS PLANNING A PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT on Park Avenue between Ryerson and Classon streets under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. CB2 invites residents to review the presentation and submit comments or questions to the District Office for review by the DOT/DDC team by Friday, Jan. 12, at 10 a.m. The project will eliminate the existing crossover underneath the BQE at Park Avenue and Grand Avenue to create a new throughway for traffic traveling westbound on Park Avenue to access Grand Avenue northbound.

DOT says the realignment will improve vehicular and pedestrian safety by slowing traffic and creating a large open public space underneath the BQE. DOT does not anticipate providing amenities to this space, however.

BQE Park Ave 1 — Rendering courtesy of NYCDOT

BQE Park Ave 2 — Rendering courtesy of NYCDOT

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MTA SUSPENDS Q TRAIN LINE FOR TRACK REPLACEMENT

ATLANTIC AVE. HUB — THE MTA IS ALERTING Q TRAIN RIDERS THAT MUCH OF THIS SUBWAY ROUTE WILL BE SUSPENDED FOR TRACK REPLACEMENT WORK on weekends during January, including Jan. 13-15, 20-22 and 27-29 (Jan. 15 is a federal holiday), from 12:45 a.m. Saturdays to 5 a.m. Mondays. Brooklyn Community Board 2 announces there will be no Q service between the Prospect Park station and 96 Street in Manhattan during these times. N trains replace the Q between Atlantic/Barclays and 96 Street Manhattan, while a fare-free shuttle bus will make stops between Prospect Park and Atlantic Avenue/Barclays Center. The Q train will operate between Stillwell Avenue and Prospect Park station (which will be the last Manhattan-bound stop).

Commuters needing direct through service to Downtown Brooklyn or into Manhattan during these times are advised to take the D, F or N trains.

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TWO BROOKLYN HEIGHTS SMOKE SHOPS HIT BY SAME ROBBERS WITHIN MINUTES

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — TWO SMOKE SHOPS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER FROM EACH OTHER IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — one on Atlantic Avenue and one on Clinton Street — were hit by robbers on Sunday, Dec. 17, police said. At roughly 9:29 p.m. two suspects entered the Clinton Convenience and Smoke Shop at 200 Clinton St. The pair displayed a firearm and attempted to rob the cash register, but were unsuccessful and fled. Three minutes later, at 9:32 p.m., the same individuals entered the High Class Convenience Store at 99 Atlantic Avenue. They again displayed a firearm and succeeded in forcibly removing currency and merchandise before fleeing. No one was hurt.

The first suspect was described as male, 6’0″, with a dark complexion and medium build, last seen wearing a black jacket, blue face mask and white sneakers. The second individual was described as male, 5’9″, with a dark complexion and medium build, last seen wearing a black jacket, black Nike face mask and blue pants. If you have information please call NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or visit Crime Stoppers online.

Image of Brooklyn Heights smoke shop robber. — Photo: NYPD

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REP. MALLIOTAKIS CALLS FOR ARRESTS OF PROTESTERS WHO SHUT DOWN BRIDGES

BAY RIDGE — FOLLOWING MONDAY MORNING’S PRO-PALESTINIAN RALLY, IN WHICH PROTESTERS SHUT DOWN THREE EAST RIVER CROSSINGS AND THE HOLLAND TUNNEL DURING THE HEIGHT OF RUSH HOUR, CONGRESSMEMBER Nicole Malliotakis (R-11) urged the mayor and NYPD to arrest those involved. She pointed out, “Not only is this a critical security concern in the event of an emergency, but it’s illegal to impede vehicular and pedestrian traffic under city law. This protest tactic is one that we’ve seen ceasefire activists use across the country since November. Instead of placating to these individuals who may disrupt traffic for hours, the mayor should order the NYPD to immediately begin making arrests to hold these obstructionists accountable for disorderly conduct.”

According to guidelines from the American Civil Liberties Union on First Amendment rights for protesters and rallygoers, “certain types of events require permits,” including “events that require blocking traffic or street closure,” although bridges are not specifically mentioned. However, the ACLU also points out that the “First Amendment prohibits such an advance notice requirement from being used to prevent rallies or demonstrations that are rapid responses to unforeseeable and recent events.”

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MAN SHOT IN LOBBY OF FARRAGUT HOUSES NEAR BROOKLYN NAVY YARD

DOWNTOWN/NAVY HILL — A 35-YEAR-MAN WAS FOUND SHOT TO DEATH IN THE LOBBY of 234 Sands St. in the Farragut Houses, directly across the street from the Brooklyn Navy Yard, at roughly 10 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 7. Police who responded to a 911 call found Richard Reed, who lived in a different Farragut building, with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest. EMS transported Reed to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, where he was subsequently pronounced deceased.

There are no arrests at this time, and the investigation remains ongoing, according to police.

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JUDGE HANDS BROOKLYN MAN 25-YEARS-TO-LIFE SENTENCE FOR MURDER IN CROWDED DELI

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — A BROOKLYN MAN WHO OPENED FIRE INSIDE A CROWDED EAST NEW YORK DELI was sentenced on Monday, Jan. 8, to 25-years-to-life in prison for an execution-style murder, Kings County District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. The defendant, Marcus Worrell, of East New York, had already been convicted, during a jury trial, of second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the June 5, 2020, fatal shooting of Evon Hillman, 28, at the 620 Livonia Ave. deli. Worrell shot both Hillman and another man who sustained massive internal injuries. Evidence showed that Worrell then left the deli and robbed another man of his motorbike at gunpoint. The NYPD arrested him two months later.

Hillman left behind a fiancée and unborn son who was born two months after Hillman’s murder.

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ASSEMBLYMEMBER SIMON HOSTS NEW YEAR’S OPEN HOUSE

CARROLL GARDENS/BOERUM HILL — BROOKLYN ASSEMBLYMEMBER JO ANNE SIMON INVITES THE COMMUNITY TO AN OPEN HOUSE TO WELCOME THE NEW YEAR. The Open House, taking place this coming Thursday, Jan. 11, from 4-6 p.m., will be a chance for constituents to meet neighbors, bring good spirits and raise any community questions or concerns. The district office is located at 341 Smith St., between President and Carroll Streets, in Carroll Gardens. An RSVP is requested.

The Open House has a social service component as well: Assemblymember Simon’s district office is collecting new socks and underwear and new or gently used hats and scarves for neighbors in need.

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BK, WB BRIDGES SHUT DOWN OVER PALESTINE PROTEST

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — TRAFFIC WAS TEMPORARILY BLOCKED ON MONDAY morning on the Brooklyn and Williamsburg bridges, as well as in the Holland tunnel, by small groups of pro-Palestine protesters congregating in the roadways, reports ABC News. The protests began around 10 a.m., shortly after rush hour; police reportedly quickly moved to make arrests for blocking traffic, with car travel resuming before 11 a.m. on the Brooklyn Bridge.

A much larger pro-Palestine march shut down the Brooklyn Bridge in October of last year when an estimated 9,000 marchers crossed over into Manhattan, garnering both applause and anger from other pedestrians.

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ATTORNEY GENERAL REACHES SETTLEMENT WITH A DEFENDANT IN NRA CASE

STATEWIDE — ON THE EVE OF TRIAL, A SETTLEMENT HAS BEEN REACHED WITH ONE OF THE FIVE DEFENDANTS IN THE ONGOING National Rifle Association case that is scheduled to go to trial on Monday, Jan. 8, NY Attorney General Letitia James announced on Saturday, Jan. 6. Joshua Powell, the NRA’s executive director of operations and chief of staff, one of five defendants in Attorney General James’ case against the National Rifle Association has reached a $100,000 agreement with her office, in which he admits to their claims of wrongdoing in the lawsuit. Wayne LaPierre, who recently resigned as the NRA’s executive vice president, was, as of press time, still scheduled to go on trial on Monday.

The courts have repeatedly rejected NRA’s efforts to challenge Attorney General James’ suit, with the NY State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division in Manhattan rejecting the latest attempt just after the New Year.

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BIDEN GIVES SHOUT-OUT TO SCHUMER & JEFFRIES FOR TENTATIVE DEAL TO AVERT SHUTDOWN

WASHINGTON, D.C. — PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN ON SUNDAY APPLAUDED BROOKLYNITES Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, Leaders of the Senate and House, for their work in crafting a bipartisan funding framework that moves the country “one step closer to preventing a needless government shutdown and protecting important national priorities.” The plan, still incomplete, rejects deep cuts and is free of extreme policies, Biden said in a statement.

Republican extremists called the bill a “total failure,” presenting headaches to House Leader Johnson, CNN reports, and a shutdown is still possible. The framework includes $6.1 billion in new clawbacks of pandemic aid, $20.2 billion in IRS funding rescissions, and the deletion of billions in emergency funds, according to Rollcall.